St. Louis, Salt Lake City and Denver crack down on ‘Occupy’ protesters

Anti-Wall Street protesters in several U.S. cities on Saturday faced orders by officials to leave their camps, as police made arrests in St. Louis, Salt Lake City and Denver.
Police arrested 27 St. Louis demonstrators at a downtown plaza early on Saturday for curfew violations, authorities said.

Authorities in Salt Lake City moved to dismantle a camp at a downtown park in an operation that resulted in 15 arrests, police said. Officers began their operation after sundown. They previously told protesters to clear out of the park by then.

Protest encampments in several cities sprang up in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York to protest what demonstrators say is economic inequality and undue influence over U.S. politics by corporate interests.

Officials in some cities have cited health and safety concerns in urging demonstrators to take down their camps.